Some Useful Phrases and Idioms Exercises with Answer for class 8 and worksheet with solution from the book Elementary English Grammar for CBSE and ICSE students.
Fill in the blanks
Matching
Exercise 29.2 Match the following idiomatic expressions with their meanings.
| A | B |
| 1. An eye for an eye | a. to blame |
| 2. An old hand | b. to tolerate |
| 3. An old head on young shoulders | c. to understand |
| 4. To have a finger in every pie | d. to create a bad impression |
| 5. To put up with | e. wisdom in a very young person |
| 6. To see through | f. to pay an excessive price |
| 7. To cut a sorry figure | g. to interfere to be concerned with many things |
| 8. To find fault with | h. to use unfair means to harm someone |
| 9. To hit below the belt | i. to take revenge as severely as one was hurt |
| 10. To pay through the nose | j. an experienced person |
Answers:
1. An eye for an eye – i. to take revenge as severely as one was hurt
2. An old hand – j. an experienced person
3. An old head on young shoulders – e. wisdom in a very young person
4. To have a finger in every pie – g. to interfere or be concerned with many things
5. To put up with – b. to tolerate
6. To see through – c. to understand
7. To cut a sorry figure – d. to create a bad impression
8. To find fault with – a. to blame
9. To hit below the belt – h. to use unfair means to harm someone
10. To pay through the nose – f. to pay an excessive price
Phrasal Expression
Exercise 29.3 Here are some phrasal expressions. Match them with their meanings. (Take the help of the dictionary) :-
1. A Red-Letter Day (a) a warm welcome
2. out of order (b) obliging each other mutually
3. off and on (c) to feel or be self- important
4. with open arms (d) an act of kindness
5. from hand to mouth (e) to wait with pleasure
6. to keep pace with (f) poverty
7. to give oneself (g) now and again
8. give and take (h) to move at an equal speed
9. a good turn (i) a memorable
10. look forward to (j) not in working condition
Answers:
1. A Red-Letter Day - i. a memorable day
2. Out of order - j. not in working condition
3. Off and on - g. now and again
4. With open arms - a. a warm welcome
5. From hand to mouth - f. poverty
6. To keep pace with - h. to move at an equal speed
7. To give oneself airs - c. to feel or be self-important
8. Give and take - b. obliging each other mutually
9. A good turn - d. an act of kindness
10. Look forward to - e. to wait with pleasure
Idiomatic Expression
Exercise 29.4 Explain briefly the following idiomatic expression in the space given :-
1. call off ______________________________________________________
2. to face the music ______________________________________________________
3. to fight shy of ______________________________________________________
4. call upon ______________________________________________________
5. pull through ______________________________________________________
6. to go to the dogs ______________________________________________________
7. a fair-weather friend ______________________________________________________
8. to keep one’s fingers crossed ______________________________________________________
9. hold back ______________________________________________________
10. tell upon ______________________________________________________
Answers :
1. call off
To cancel or stop something that was planned or in progress.
Example: The event was called off due to bad weather.
2. to face the music
To confront the consequences of one’s actions or decisions.
Example: After failing the exam, he had to face the music from his parents.
3. to fight shy of
To avoid something or be reluctant to engage in something.
Example: He fights shy of public speaking because he gets nervous.
4. call upon
To formally request or invite someone to do something.
Example: The teacher called upon the students to submit their assignments.
5. pull through
To recover from a difficult or dangerous situation, especially illness or hardship.
Example: After the surgery, the patient managed to pull through.
6. to go to the dogs
To deteriorate or become ruined, especially morally or financially.
Example: The company has gone to the dogs since the new management took over.
7. a fair-weather friend
A person who is only a friend during good times but abandons others in difficult situations.
Example: When he lost his job, he realized who his fair-weather friends were.
8. to keep one’s fingers crossed
To hope for a positive outcome or good luck.
Example: She kept her fingers crossed while waiting for the exam results.
9. hold back
To restrain oneself or prevent something from progressing.
Example: He had to hold back his emotions during the speech.
10. tell upon
To have a noticeable negative effect on someone or something.
Example: The long hours of work began to tell upon his health.
Idioms
Single word
Making Sentences
Exercise 29.7 Make your own sentences of the following expressions :-
1. on and on, 2. by and by, 3. up and about, 4. more or less, 5. touch and go
Answers:
1. on and on
The speaker went on and on about the importance of hard work during the seminar.
2. by and by
By and by, he started to understand the complexities of the new project.
3. up and about
After a week of rest, she was finally up and about, feeling much better.
4. more or less
The new plan is more or less finalized, but there are still a few details to iron out.
5. touch and go
It was touch and go for a while, but the doctors managed to save the patient in the end.